Chapter Thirty-One: Invitation from the Dragon Palace
The scene was momentarily awkward.
Li Changshou and Lan Ling'e shared a tacit understanding, both looking up at the sky together...
The Azure Dragon hovered outside the protective mountain array, the grey clouds swirling continuously;
The celestial pressure permeated through the protective mountain array, shrouding every corner of the Duexian Gate, and figures appeared in the sky above each peak, all immortals of the Duexian Gate startled by the commotion.
Suddenly, several streaks of light shot up from the Broken Sky Peak, directly flying out of the protective mountain array and transforming into four figures, gazing at the clouds in the sky.
At the forefront was a male immortal dressed in a blue and white robe, standing with his hands behind his back, his figure tall and straight like a pine tree, with two strands of white hair in front of his temples, his face very cold.
As soon as he appeared, the oppressive atmosphere in the air disappeared, and the Azure Dragon immediately flew into the clouds, no longer daring to approach the protective mountain array...
This was Li Changshou's first time seeing Master Wangqing.
—Indeed, this handsome uncle with white hair at the temples was the master of the Jiuzi Immortal of the Wine Sect, the celestial of the Duexian Gate, known as Master Wangqing.
Behind Master Wangqing stood an old Daoist holding a feather duster, smiling faintly, and an old woman leaning on a wooden staff, also smiling.
In addition, there was a beautiful fairy dressed in colorful clothes, but no one could see her figure shrouded in mist.
The Crimson-Scaled Azure Dragon roared in the clouds, "Are you the ones in charge of the Duexian Gate?"
Master Wangqing didn't even lift his head, his plain voice immediately spreading inside and outside the array:
"I am just a casual member of the sect, not in charge of the Duexian Gate. I just find your little dragon too rude, so I came out specially to teach you a lesson."
"Bold!"
The Crimson Dragon roared angrily in the clouds, and the swirling grey clouds suddenly receded by half, a dragon claw brewing thunder and fire, smashing towards Master Wangqing!
The dragon claw swelled in the wind, instantly growing to hundreds of feet in diameter, covering the sky and earth, as if intending to shatter both the protective mountain array and the Broken Sky Peak!
Seeing this scene, many disciples held their breaths, and even the more advanced practitioners showed concern.
And Lan Ling'e beside Li Changshou subconsciously grabbed her senior brother's arm, her cultivation being too low at the moment, and she was filled with unease under the pressure of the dragon's might.
Li Changshou promptly released a strand of qi to envelop his junior sister, sharing the pressure for her, so she wouldn't fall into turmoil.
Suddenly!
The enormous dragon claw, covering the sky and earth, unexpectedly halted above the protective mountain array without any warning...
The powerful wind generated by the dragon claw caused the smooth and shiny array walls of the protective mountain array to flicker with light;
But this huge dragon claw just mysteriously stopped in mid-air, unable to descend any further!
Li Changshou activated his magical powers and focused his gaze, only to see Master Wangqing raising his left arm high, fingers forming a sword gesture, his fingertip pointing directly at the inch-thick hard skin of the enormous dragon claw!
With just one finger, he supported the mountain-like dragon claw!
Master Wangqing's long hair danced in the wind, and his robe rustled.
"Hmph!"
A cold snort echoed for miles around!
Master Wangqing's left arm lightly shook, and the mountain-like dragon claw instantly shattered, exploding into countless clouds and mist!
The azure dragon reappeared in the surging clouds, but it was enveloped by an invisible force, its huge body constantly twisting and struggling, being flung into the sky...
Moments later, the azure dragon returned angrily from high altitude, emitting a dragon roar full of resentment.
Master Wangqing slightly raised his head, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes;
The azure dragon instantly stopped its roar, and intense red light shimmered around its body, directly transforming into a burly man with a dragon's head and human body, wearing battle armor, his face showing both shock and anger.
Master Wangqing coldly said, "You dare to come to our Duexian Gate to cause trouble as soon as you become a celestial, tired of living, aren't you?"
The burly man with the dragon's head roared, but dared not act rashly anymore. Instead, he shouted in the air, "The Dragon Palace is so audacious! You shall not toast and not eat the penalty of wine! I am the special envoy of the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea, the vanguard of the Dragon Palace's navy! You are so disrespectful; I will report to the Dragon King and gather troops to flatten your small mountain gate in a few days!"
The old Daoist behind Master Wangqing smiled and said, "The Dragon Palace is unexpectedly arrogant, quite rare, quite rare. However, trying to show off your might in our Duexian Gate, isn't that going too far? After all, our Duexian Gate is also one of the Taoist sects, blessed by the fortunes of humanity. Instead of quietly guarding the Eastern Sea, the Dragon Palace indulges evil dragons in causing trouble everywhere, and without saying a word, directly attacks our Duexian Gate's protective mountain array. Could it be that you, as the vanguard, are deliberately provoking a war between our human cultivators and your dragon clan?"
"You!" The burly man with the dragon's head immediately glared, but dared not interrupt recklessly.
Times have changed. During the war between witches and demons, humanity was weak, but now humanity is the protagonist of heaven and earth, far more prosperous than the ancient witches and demons. Not to mention human cultivators launching a collective attack against the dragon clan, even if the immortal sects of Mount Dongsheng take action and invite one or two great powers from the Three Teachings, it would be enough to give them a hard time at the Four Seas Dragon Palace.
This Crimson Dragon was a bit caught in a dilemma at the moment.
However, the old woman from outside the Duexian Gate timely stepped forward, smiling and smoothing things over, saying a few eloquent words, and giving the Crimson Dragon a way out.
The Crimson Dragon also took advantage of the situation, leaving with a stern face after explaining its intentions...
The Duexian Gate was filled with laughter and ridicule towards the dragon clan and the Dragon Palace.
The four elders who went out from the gate had obviously discussed it beforehand. Master Wangqing played the role of the stern one, the old Daoist threatened with words, and the old woman played the role of the peacemaker.
Three celestial beings staged a play, dealing properly with the arrogant general from the Dragon Palace.
The Crimson Dragon had intended to give the Duexian Gate a show of strength but ended up embarrassed, not daring to utter any harsh words and leaving crestfallen...
Clouds come from dragons, winds come from tigers, watching the azure dragon roam the sky was indeed a rare sight.
"Senior brother," Lan Ling'e asked softly, looking up at the sky, "Is this what the world of the strong looks like?"
Li Changshou shook his head gently and transmitted his voice, "These can only be considered as experts, not necessarily strong..."
Then, the two siblings remembered the previous incident and looked down simultaneously.
Beside the cage of the Daoist monk, Qiyuan, the old Daoist Qiyuan was quietly closing the wooden door, preparing to slip away from the side...
Lan Ling'e continued to look up at the sky, pretending not to notice her master; Li Changshou closed his eyes in contemplation, as if he had gained some insights from watching the battle between experts.
How could Qiyuan not know that these were two disciples looking out for his dignity?
The old Daoist's wrinkled forehead was marked with several black lines, his old face drooped, his lips moved for a while, but no sound came out.
"Cough, ahem! No laughing! This is the first time for me to transcend the tribulation. I have no experience! I... I'll go back to continue my seclusion!"
With that, Qiyuan turned around, covering his face, and left in a hurry, flying away on the clouds.
The two siblings endured their laughter in place until Qiyuan Daoist returned to the thatched hut and opened several layers of small arrays. Only then did they burst into laughter.
This blunder could be considered as a rehearsal for transcending the tribulation.
Fortunately, it didn't alarm disciples from other peaks to come and watch the show, otherwise Qiyuan Daoist would... probably wish he was dead.
...
It's actually a good thing that the tribulation didn't come suddenly.
After the incident, Li Changshou was a bit worried that the 'treasure medicine' he gave to his master would be examined by him; But upon second thought, even if the master took it out to inspect it, he probably wouldn't recognize it as the Fusion Immortal Pill.
Qiyuan was not knowledgeable about elixirs and focused on cultivating formations.
After a thousand years of cultivation since entering the sect, Qiyuan spent most of his time on improving his cultivation. However, due to the damage to his Dao Foundation, the journey was quite difficult.
The root cause of Qiyuan's hopelessness in facing the heavenly tribulation lay in the damage to his Dao Foundation; And helping his master repair the Dao Foundation was Li Changshou's third plan to assist his master in transcending the tribulation.
But the third plan, although it seemed to address the root cause, was actually the most dangerous and difficult path...
The injury to Master Qiyuan's Dao Foundation originated from a previous injury many years ago; Li Changshou had asked his master several times about the specific cause of the injury, but his master had never directly answered, only saying that there had been a mistake in his cultivation. After that injury, senior practitioners in the sect used a large amount of elixirs to save Qiyuan's life; At that time, there was only Daoist Qiyuan on the Xiaoqiong Peak, as Li Changshou's master had gone out on a journey nine hundred years ago and never returned.
During the process of repairing the Dao Foundation, the sect provided Qiyuan with many healing elixirs, but some precious celestial treasures were missing; After barely stabilizing the Dao Foundation, Qiyuan spent several hundred years in cultivation, seemingly 'recovering' from his Dao injury, but his Dao Foundation was already greatly damaged, making it difficult to replenish the lost essence.
It was like a tree growing crooked and continuing to grow crooked, eventually growing into...
An old crooked-necked tree.
This was the situation of Daoist Qiyuan's Dao injury.
To help his master repair the Dao Foundation, Li Changshou would have to sacrifice the cultivation he had accumulated over the past few hundred years and use clever means to reopen the healed Dao injury and fill it with celestial treasures.
This process was not only extremely dangerous but would also cause great pain to Daoist Qiyuan. Moreover, celestial treasures were equally difficult to find, and in the end, it was not certain whether the Dao injury could be repaired...
So, Li Changshou chose to prioritize the first and second plans, sealed the third plan and six alternative plans, and used them as needed depending on the situation.
After the blunder, Daoist Qiyuan secluded himself for two months.
Two months later, Qiyuan came out to restore his master's dignity, giving detailed answers to the questions Li Changshou had asked earlier; But unexpectedly, Li Changshou was prepared. After listening to his master's explanation, he raised new questions, leaving Qiyuan once again at a loss and returning to the hut to continue seclusion, perfecting his own Dao...
During this time, Li Changshou pondered over several tools that might be useful for transcending the tribulation.
When his master came out this time, Li Changshou could already sense the obscure fluctuations of energy around him.
This was the sign that he had been locked onto by the heavenly Dao and was about to transcend the tribulation.
At the latest, within two years, his master would begin to face the heavenly tribulation; and at this moment, Li Changshou couldn't help much.
Transcending the tribulation was ultimately a personal matter, and it was difficult for others to contribute much.
...
So, one year and nine months later...